1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the individual dispensing of parts from a tube. In a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to the individual dispensing of parts, particularly electronic parts, from a tube to a work station.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Packaged parts, for example, electronic parts such as integrated circuit chips of the DIP type, are usually stored in narrow transparent plastic tubes which generally conform to the height and width of the part, thus permitting a series of the parts to be stored end to end lengthwise. It is also customary to provide the tube with a track or escapement on which the underside of each part rests. The sidewalls of the tube and the track assist in maintaining the parts in end to end orientation and facilitates removal of the parts from the tube.
Conventionally, the parts may be removed by hand by sliding them out one at a time. With automation techniques being developed to provide robotic insertion of the part, for example, into a socket on a printed circuit board, removal of parts from the tube by machine has led to the use of either slide mechanisms to push the parts from one end of the tube to emerge from the other end or gravity feed mechanisms in which the tube is maintained in a vertical position or at least at an angle to the horizontal to permit the parts to slide out of the tube by gravity.
However, with such techniques, jamups, multiple feeding, and ease of replacing the empty tube with another full tube after the last part is dispensed have all presented problems.
It would, therefore be desirable to provide a feed mechanism to dispense parts from a tube which would deliver one part at a time to a work station and wherein an empty tube could be automatically replaced with a full tube from a storage area which, in turn could be restocked without interfering with the feeding of parts from the tube being emptied.